The Choice
by Derp-For-Homestuck
Summary: Karkat thinks over all the things that have happened over the past two years, looking back at when he first met the love of his life, up until the moment they separated. As he remembers all their moments together, he makes a decision that might change his life forever. [Dedicated to L3MONSNOUT413.] (might have some side EriSol and GamTav later on...maybe?)
1. Chapter 1

**Surprise surprises, another Davekat fic. Should I maybe try a new pairing at some point? **

**Hah, nah!**

**Also, as mentioned in the summary, I have recently dedicated this horrible thing to ****L3MONSNOUT413 (Guest) so there's that too. **

**Anyways, let's just get on with this, then, shall we?**

...

Sometime, I hear someone say his name, and even though I know they don't mean _him_ it still fucks me up a bit. It makes me think about him, and I already do that enough at this point.

If anything, hearing someone say his name just makes me feel like throwing up.

I miss him, honestly. Sometimes I think I can almost hear his voice, but I am starting to forget what he sounded like.

I'm starting to forget what he looks like, too.

Then I remember, stupid aviators and blinding blonde hair.

I hated those stupid glasses he always wore.

I never once got to see what his eyes look like.

Maybe that's one thing I regret the most.

Never getting to see his eyes.

I remember, one day, he had them off and they were hanging from his shirt. But when I looked up to see what he looked like without them, I almost punched him in the face.

The asshole was wearing neon pink hipster sunglasses.

He smiled at me, and said "It's ironic." Then I really did punch him in the face.

And oh my gosh, I remember the first day we met...

God I even remember what he was wearing that day. The fucking prick.

* * *

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you hate this class.

The only reason you are in P.E. is because those stupid school people fucking said it was 'mandatory in order to graduate blah blah blah' like you give a shit.

Even so, here you are, huddled in the corner of the gym with your ear-buds firmly shoved in each ear.

Having been in this stupid class for almost two months now, the coach has stopped trying to get you to participate.

You have B- in this class.

You could try harder, you know that. But really, who gives a fuck? It's P.E. it's not like anyone is really going to use whatever knowledge they learn in this class to get a job.

Okay, so that's not true, but _you_ won't need this to get the job you want.

Amist your grumbling about the stupid class, you notice a new student slowly walk into the gym from the other side.

Curious, nothing else, you crane your neck slightly to get a better look.

He _strides_ over to the coaches and introduces himself.

Being so far away, you don't hear what he says, or what they say to him. All you know, is that a huge smile breaks across his stupid face and he jogs over to join the class.

Instantly, you see John bound over to him and they hit it off quickly.

For the rest of the hour, you watch the two idiots push at each other and run circles around the gym.

...

One of your least favorite, as well as your favorite, classes is 5th hour.

For some reason, you are fucking fantastic at math, but you hate it.

You hate doing it.

Too bad your a genius when it comes to formulas and all that shit.

Ten minutes into to class, everyone looks up at the sound of the door opening.

A figure stumbles into the class, and your head instantly shoots up to stare at him when you catch a glimpse of platinum blonde hair.

Your seat is all the way in a corner, so you doubt he will notice you staring.

He walks smoothly over to your teachers desk and hands him a note, saying nothing.

Smiling, your teacher points to in empty desk near the front...on the other side of the room.

Your eyes follow him as he walks to the empty desk and takes a seat.

You watch as his head turns and you realize for the first time that this asshole is wearing aviators.

What a prick.

Your eyes travel downward, and you notice that he's also wearing some fucking bright red ass long sleeve shirt. His arm blocks the logo on the front, but you faintly recognize a popular band logo.

Then you look to his jeans and almost start laughing. This idiot is wearing cargo pants. In autumn, for fucks sake.

And honestly, autumn in Washington is almost like winter in most other states.

You look back up to his aviators to see them turned towards you.

Instantly you look back to your paper, glaring at the problems staring back at you.

Maybe you can start to hate math class a little less.

...

Lunch, you spend trying to find the asshole with aviators.

Seeing that he has absconded your line of sight, you sit down with your friends and start eating.

John starts chatting away about something or other and you quickly tune him out.

It's only when the boy from earlier sits down, do you tune back into the conversation.

"This is my new friend!" John introduces him.

Your face heats slightly, and you grip your tray of food just a slight bit tighter.

"Name's Dave. Dave Strider." He says, his aviators facing everyone at the table. You almost spit up the milk you _just_ took a drink of.

Of course he would have that as a name.

Strider.

'_He _strides_ over to the coaches and introduces himself.' _you remember thinking those words, and mentally slap yourself across the face.

He sticks his hand out, across John, and into your face.

"You?" he asks, a slight smile on his face.

John moves slightly out of the way, so Dave is no longer leaning over him.

You take Dave's outstretched hand and give it a slight shake.

"Karkat." you mumble, feeling your face heating slightly.

Instantly taking your hand back and making a mental note to slap yourself in the face later, you glare at your tray again.

You hear John introducing the rest of your friends to Dave, and you hear him greet each one the same.

"Yo." with a slight wave of his hand.

All the wile, his sunglasses are still trained on you.

What. A prick.

...

You love the sound of the final bell. It is your favorite.

You should really record it and set it as your ringtone for everything.

Even as you weave your way between people, trying to get to your locker so you can leave, your thoughts suddenly take a turn for the worst.

Aviators.

Stupid aviators and bright blond hair.

Just as you think of him, he poofs in front of you.

Just like that.

You even think you hear the 'poof' sound.

"Hey there, Kitkat." he greets, smiling down at you.

The fact that he's taller than you pisses you off.

"My _name_ is Karkat." you growl back.

He laughs, throwing his head back in glee. You catch a glimpse of the roof of his mouth as he does so.

Shaking your head to rid yourself of those thoughts, you grumble under your breath and continue on towards the locker you share with John.

"Hey wait up!" Dave follows after you.

You are in no mood to deal with him.

No mood at all.

Quickly, you gather your things and slam the locker door shut before rushing out the school doors.

In your hast, you are too busy to notice that your notebook fell out, and you left it behind.

You don't see it when Dave bends down to pick it up from the floor.

...

**And there we go. **

**Dave being a creep, and Karkat being a grump.**

**Pretty much canon, right? **

**Eh whatever, close enough. **

**Right so...**

**there.**

**Chapter 2 coming soon? I think...**


	2. Chapter 2

**How much do you love me, come on. **

**It's a lot, am I right. **

**Because look at this, chapter two, already.**

**Wow, I must have all the time in the world, really.**

**Well...not exactly...but it's enough. **

**Anyways, here's your next chapter.**

...

I think, maybe the worst part of that day, I realized I might be crazy.

Too bad at the time I didn't know it was love at first sight.

Stupid 10th grade, god I hated that year.

Honestly, I hated the fact that he was _everywhere_ I looked at this point.

It wasn't like I was looking for him, or anything.

Alright, so maybe I was, just a little bit, but that wasn't the fucking point.

He was everywhere I looked, his aviators turned towards me, but he was always talking to someone.

Usually John.

Now, I have no problems with John. Not now, at least.

At the time, I kinda hated his guts.

Douchebag took up most of the space in our locker.

Even before he stole Dave from me, I hated guts.

I fucking hated him before Dave even showed up.

I don't remember why, but I'm almost sure that it was because he was dating Vriska at the time, and I hated that bitch.

That's probably why.

I remember the day the Dave found out about the couple.

He didn't really like Vriska either.

Hah! That was also the day I started actually playing the stupid games in P.E.

I remember, it was almost 20-0 when we finished the game of Soccer. But then the other team scored one point. The first they scored the whole hour, and we ended the game at 20-1.

The point is, we won.

And I actually had fun doing it, for once.

* * *

You still hate P.E.

That fact will never change.

Then, why pray tell, were you racing after a soccer ball and trying to get it kicked into the goal.

Oh right, Dave is watching.

Well, he might be.

You know he's watching the ball, because that's how you play the game, so you hope his eyes somehow find their way onto you.

Not taking the time to look over your shoulder and check, you slam your foot into the ball and watched it fly just over the goalie's hand and into the netting of the goal.

Letting out a victorious hoot, you rush back over to your side of the field and wait for the moment the ball comes anywhere near you.

Dave takes it, the first chance he gets.

Unable to follow after him due to your dumbstruck mind trying to push thoughts of his shirt riding up slightly as he runs, you watch him weaving in and out of the other players.

Smiling to yourself, you let out another victorious hoot when his kick sends the ball straight past the goalie.

You look up at the clock, to find that you only have three minutes left in the class.

Sighing a little, because for once you were actually enjoying yourself, you ready yourself to get the ball when it passes by you.

The goalie tosses the ball out into the court, and everyone rushes towards it.

You recongize a few of your teammates get the ball first, only to have it stolen by the Rose. Who you suddenly realize is playing for the other team.

You laugh, out loud, at your own unexpected pun, and run after the ball.

You'll have to remember that one, it was actually pretty funny.

She see's you coming, however, and quickly passes to someone else. Your eyes follow the black and white ball and you start after it when you see Sollux kick it backwards.

Silently, you thank the nerd for his quick thinking, because you watch the ball come rolling towards you.

Taking your chance, you slide your foot to move the ball over and kick it to Dave.

He gives a slight nod to you, and starts off towards the goal.

You take a moment to look at the clock again, and wince when you see 40 seconds starting to tick down.

You don't notice when a player from the other team goes running past you.

Then your eyes widen when you turn to watch your goalie, Vriska, chatting with her boyfriend John, and letting the ball slip right past her and into the goal.

You have never hated her so much in that moment.

The bell for the end of the game sounds, and you look to the score for the first time.

You hadn't realized, but that was the other teams first goal.

Then you remember, neither you or Dave would let the ball get that close to the goal.

Smiling to yourself, you walk towards the locker room and high-five Sollux on the way.

...

On your way up to math, you see Dave at his locker. His aviators look up and turn towards you. He waves at you with a smile, and you can't help but wave back.

He's quickly becoming on of your closest friends, aside from Gamzee and Sollux.

Though, at the moment, Gamzee is visiting family in some far away country. Apparently someone in his family died.

You feel bad for your best friend, but you know there is nothing you can do about it.

Your locker jams when you go to open it.

Growling, you kick the already dented metal, and it snaps back into place before opening.

Cursing, you grab your math book and binder, looking around your mess of a locker for a pencil.

Amist your searching for a pencil, you feel someone watching you.

You look up to find Dave walking his way down the hallway.

Your heart pound as he comes closer, but he stops suddenly, looking at you before shaking his head at himself and walking into class.

Still frozen with your hand in your locker, you blink twice.

Gathering your things, you slam the stupid door to your fucked up locker closed and curse again when it doesn't close all the way. Damn John and all his stupid shit taking up so much space.

"Fucking piece of shit!" You shout, slamming your fist down on it, no doubt adding another dent, before kicking it closed.

You growl to yourself as you make your way into class.

Dave looks up from his paper when you walk in, and you try to ignore the urge to look back.

Every time you look at him, your heart does these weird flips.

Weird stupid flips.

So you spend the whole hour getting your math homework done and taking notes for the day.

...

You stand in line for lunch, looking up at Dave with a scowl.

"Was a pretty great game, though, wasn't it." he muses, smiling down at you.

"Yeah, would have been better if Vriska wasn't fucking talking to her stupid boyfriend." you mutter, crossing your arms over your chest and glaring at the floor.

"They aren't...actually dating, right?" Dave asks.

You look back at him, glaring at him.

"Yeah, they fucking are. And it's disgusting." you tell him.

He blanches, and you find your self laughing at his reaction.

"That's so gross!" he shouts, laughing along with you.

You find, that you quite like his laugh.

"Don't let John hear you say that, he just _loves_ her." you tell him, still laughing.

People around the two of you are starting to stare.

You don't mind, let them stare.

Because you are happy, and right now that's all that matters.

...

You think maybe your least favorite thing about school, is that you have to walk home everyday.

Well, in winter John's dad usually gives you a ride, but not always.

But maybe...you can start hating it less.

"So...what is there to do that's fun around here?" Dave asks, looking over to you with a smile.

"You've been here for...what. A week and a half now? Figure it out." you shrug.

His smile grows.

"John never takes me anywhere. He's always with Vrisssskkkaaa." he drawls out her name, and you KNOW he's doing it to annoy you.

"So? Not my problem."

"I'll make it your problem." he mumbles, just loud enough that you hear him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

You shake your head and smile at the ground.

"So...you gonna show me the sights or what?"

"Ugh. Fine, let me just drop my shit off at home." you finally give in, groaning and acting like you aren't practically jumping up and down excitedly on the inside.

Because that would be fucking embarrassing.

...

**And that's chapter two done and over with.**

**Woooo.**

**Did you get that little joke in there about playing for the other team? Because it was pretty fucking great if you ask me.**

**I don't know, might just be me laughing at my own stupid jokes, but I thought it was funny.**

**Thanks to cupcakethekiller and Guest for reviewing last chapter! **

**Also, I have to have at least 5 new reviews before I will publish the next chapter. **

**Because guess who already finished chapter three. **

**That's right. You love me. **

**Leave a review xD**


	3. Chapter 3

**So here's the chapter three thing. Thanks so much for the reviews, it means a lot to me! **

**And there was only 4 new ones, just to let you know. But oh well, I felt like posting it early. And it totally didn't have anything to do with my person forcing me into it, not at all.**

**Anyways how about five more in exchange for chapter four being let go? **

...

I remember, it was two months after him being there, that we got new seats in math.

I hated that they still had seating charts in the 10th grade.

How stupid.

But I remember, how thrilled I was when I found out where I supposed to sit.

I was so happy, that I completely ignored the fact that Dave's ears had turned a slight pink.

I'm not sure, but I think that was also the day that John and Vriska had a falling out.

Yeah, now that I think about it, that was when someone had caught Vriska trying to Tavros to turn straight by rubbing all up against him.

Frankly, it grossed the poor kid out, I remember.

Of course, she had been messing with the kid, but the fact that she even did that, made John kinda pissed.

I laughed.

It was rude, but I laughed when I saw the look on her face the moment he called her bitch.

Because she was a bitch. A bit huge bitchy bitch bitch.

I really didn't like her.

Oh wait! That was the day that Eridan came back too!

I had forgotten that loser had been on vacation with his stupid rich ass family off on some fancy fucking cruise.

We had just become friends with each other before he left, too.

Hah, I remember he was always whining about Feferi not returning his feelings.

What a laugh that is, now.

Seeing as he's-

Well, that's not the point.

I remember him and Dave didn't really like each other.

They didn't hate each other either, they just didn't see eye to eye on certain things.

Which was fine by me, it didn't really matter.

Well, okay it mattered.

I mean those two were like my two closest friends, since Gamzee was still off with family.

And then there was Sollux.

Oh god, was that the same day that he did the thing?!

Wait, no that was a little bit later.

Hah, that was pretty great.

But, it was the day that Vriska and John broke up, and things got a little more interesting for me. So much stuff was going on at once, and Dave had called me for help. I was the one he went to when everything went to shit.

* * *

Since it is starting to get colder and colder as the days go by, the coaches have decided that your class will no longer be going outside for sports.

Which, honestly, doesn't matter to you, because your class never really went outside in the first place.

That wasn't important to you, no matter what way you look at it.

It could be negative 20 degrees out and you would still go out if it meant playing a game with Dave by your side.

You don't know why, but he really makes everything that much better. Makes everything that much brighter, that much more colorful.

Well, you do know why, you just aren't admitting it. You aren't even admitting it to yourself, much less out loud.

Fuck no you are never going to say it out loud.

P.E. is starting to become a class that you actually look forward to.

Well, yeah it's _really_ starting to become a class you look forward to.

Not just because of Dave, no.

You are starting to really enjoy playing the games.

You've always kinda liked sports, but not enough to actually get out there and do anything about it.

Especially soccer, that has to be one of your favorites.

Not just because Dave's shirt rides up a lot when he runs, because that happens during other sports as well, but also because you are actually pretty good at the game itself.

If you aren't too busy staring at Dave, that is. Which you don't do that often, really you don't.

Today however is supposed to be a more laid back day.

You are playing dodge-ball today.

You aren't really all that sure how you feel about this game.

And even so, you're pretty sure you haven't played dodge-ball since middle school, so you probably suck at it anyways.

The class splits into two teams, almost always the same people on each team every time, and gather on opposite ends of the court.

Dave, for once, is on the other team.

The whistle is blown, and you slink towards the back of the group. You are not too keen on getting hit in the face with one of those red balls. You remember that they hurt like a bitch.

"Vvantas!" the sound of someone calling your name causes you to look over to them, only to see a red dot come flying towards you.

Ducking out of the way, you send a different ball hurling back in that same direction and hear a 'Fuck' being shouted as someone getting slammed in the stomach by your ball.

You actually take the time to look at who it was that you hit, and you curse under your breath when you recgonize Eridan.

"Sorry Eridan!" you call to him, he flips you off with one hand, the other holding his stomach tightly.

You almost feel like laughing, but you are pretty sure that would only piss your friend off more.

Your attention then turns to another red ball coming towards you.

Holding out your hand, you catch the ball and send it flying back at another player.

Your eye catches Dave, already out and sitting in the sidelines. His aviators meet your eyes and you feel your face heat up slightly.

Momentarily distracted by your idiot of a friend, you don't notice the red ball until it's too late, and it collides with your shoulder.

Okay, ow the stupid fucker, what the hell is his problem?!

You walk calmly over to the sidelines, rubbing your stinging shoulder with a glare.

...

"Hey Karks, your shoulder okay?" Dave turns around in his chair to ask.

You roll your eyes and shrug. Honestly, he keeps coming up with more and more nicknames to call you. It gets annoying sometimes, but you don't mind.

You don't mind at all. You think it's kinda...cute...

"It's fine. Do your work." he whisper back, trying to forget about what you were just thinking about. He smiles at you and turns back around in his chair.

You almost resent being placed right behind him.

Almost.

He turns around in his seat a lot to ask you questions and just to generally bother the fuck out of you.

Not that you really mind all that much. You really like talking to him.

"What did you get on number 7?" he turns around again, and you can almost make out the shadow of his eyes behind those stupid aviators. If you can really see his eyes, they are currently staring at your paper. "How the fuck are you almost done?!" he hisses, his hands griping the back of his chair tightly.

"I'm just good at math." you sneer back. He chuckles lightly and flicks your nose.

"Yeah whatever." he says with a smile.

You wait until he turns back around again before you let yourself smile.

He really is making everything that much better.

You even enjoy doing your math now, just knowing that he's going to ask you for help on it.

For once, math is actually bringing you joy.

Who would have thought, huh?

...

"Wwhere's John?" Eridan asks when he sits down.

You give him a look, hoping he understands your telipathic message of 'shut the fuck up'.

"Wwhat?" he asks instead.

Rolling your eyes and moving over so he can sit down, you just wave your hand dismisivly and tune out the rest of the conversation.

"Come on! It was a joke!" Vriska's yelling catches your attention, and you look up to see her standing, yelling at John with a pained expression.

"It doesn't change the fact that it was seriously messed up!" he shouts back, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away from her.

"Please, John. Give me another chance!" she yells, taking a step closer to him.

You note, that everyone has gone silent, and is watching the scene unfold. Where the fuck are the teachers? Aren't they supposed to intervene at this point?

Is that not their job or something?

"Vriska, I don't think I can. Three is enough, honestly. You know? Roxy was right, you are a bitch." he calmly replies, gathering his things and making his way out the doors of the cafeteria.

You have to hold your mouth tightly closed in order to keep from laughing so loudly that she hears.

Everyone's eyes land on the still fuming girl standing shell-shocked.

"What are _you_ looking at?!" she screams at the group, gathering her own things and following John.

"Spiderbitch." you hear Eridan mumble under his breath.

Sollux almost chokes on his food when he starts laughing.

You wonder when Sollux will gather his courage and finally come out so he can say what he's been wanting to say for a long time now.

"That'th one way of thaying it, yeah." Sollux chuckles, keeping his eyes on the table, and away from Eridan.

Probably not for awhile, you guess.

Those two have a lot of catching up to do, you guess.

Deciding to let them do that, you mumble some sort of an apology and take your leave from the table.

Sollux pleads for you to stay with his eyes, not bothering to voice his displeasure with you leaving him with Eridan, but you ignore it and head out the doors.

...

You walk home alone today, Dave is probably busy trying to comfort John.

He really liked Vriska, you know that.

But really, those two just weren't right for each other.

You know for a fact, that John will find his perfect girl one day.

For fucks sake, he's been trying hard enough.

What with that crush on Rose last year.

Poor dude is probably still a little bent about that.

He deserved it though, at least in your mind he did.

She was a little pissed at him for what he said to you when you had confessed your little crush.

"I'm not a homosexual, Karkat."

Thinking back on that, you laugh. Because that's actually pretty funny. But back then, it hurt.

And then he had asked out Rose. She, the amazing bitch she is, had responded with:

"I'm not a heterosexual, John."

You laughed- out loud -when you hear what she said to him.

He apologized to you later that day, and you went back to being friends.

You got over him soon after that. It was only a little crush anyways.

Turning the corner, and walking up the steps to your house, you feel the piece of shit phone in your pocket start to ring.

"What the fuck do you want?"

_"Karkat? It's Dave. I could use some help here." _

You stop walking, right in front of your door.

Something is very wrong.

Dave never calls you by your actual name.

"What's wrong."

_"Just come here please." _he pleads, and you hear the sound of sobbing in the background.

Instantly recognizing the sound as John crying, you drop your bag in front of the door and start back down the steps.

"Where exactly is 'here'?"

...

**Bit of a cliffy? Eh, those are always fun.**

**Oh! And hey, thanks again for reviewing guys! Thanks so much for that. It's so kind of you and it motivates me to write more, so keep it up if you want more of this lame story. (that I happen to be holding hostage at the moment)**

**Bleh.**


	4. Chapter 4

**My most favorite moirail Kevin finally posted that last review I needed, I've been waiting to post this damn chapter for like a week now. **

**Anyways here it is. And also, there will be more about Johns freak out later, just saying.**

**...**

My favorite day had to be the day when he finally snapped. And I'm not talking like, snapping at someone because they said the wrong thing, no no.

I mean he full out blew the fuck up.

Dave had this weird thing about always keeping his cool around everyone, no matter how pissed off he got.

But there was one day, that he finally snapped straight down the middle and everything came flooding out of his system.

John had to be the most surprised by his friends outburst, but I sure as hell wasn't.

It was the same day that Gamzee got back.

In fact, it was Gamzee that finally got Dave to snap.

God those two hated each other.

So much.

I'm pretty sure it was actually because they both wanted Terezi for their partner in Science.

Can't blame them, she's the smartest there is when it comes to science.

Though, at the time, I had always thought that they were actually fighting for her affection.

I mean, I know Gamzee didn't really have any preferences when it came to love, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let Dave have a slice of the hot ass that was Terezi.

I don't know which pissed me off more, the fact that Dave clearly had a crush Terezi, or the fact that my best 'motherfucking' friend was blowing me off for a girl that hated his guts.

I remember, that was the day that things almost started falling together, almost.

That had been the day that Sollux finally found his balls and asked the question that changed things.

I actually found it the funniest fucking thing in the world, but well...Eridan was not amused.

He got over it, of course. Quickly, in fact.

But he was pissed at first.

* * *

You stand in the middle of right field, watching the ball fly through the air as the runner takes off towards first base.

You never did like baseball.

It is not your favorite sport.

It is not.

Dave doesn't seem to like this game all that much either.

He is leaning against a wall nearby, not even paying that much attention to the game at hand.

The ball bounces on the ground near center field, and you look over to see the runner at base two.

Stupid asshole.

You don't know his name, and you don't care to find out, because he is not important to the story you are trying to tell.

Eridan is sulking somewhere in the gym, that much you know, but you aren't quite sure where he is.

If anything, he might even be underneath the bleachers.

That is actually a huge possibility.

You would go check, but you really don't feel like it.

The game plays on, and you find yourself caring less and less about who is winning and who is losing.

As time drains on, you wonder still where your idiot hipster douchebag is.

Scanning over that different people running around like assholes after the white ball, looking for that stupid purple fucking stripe.

A flash of deep, and you mean deep, purple catches your eye and you turn to get a better look at it, thinking it is probably Eridan.

Only to let out a yelp and go running towards the tall bundle of pot and joy that is your best friend.

Completely ignore the shouts of protest from your teammates, and running as fast as your legs will carry you over to someone you missed so much while he was gone.

"Gamzee!" you yell out his name as a warning and jump into his waiting arms, wrapping your own around his neck.

"Hey motherfucker. What's up." he chuckles. He smiles brightly at you, and you smile back.

Wow you missed this asshat. And now he's home.

You hug him again, laughing into his messy hair.

He ruffles your own tangled mess of hair and set you back down.

You wonder slightly if he is high or not.

Probably.

...

Math is uneventful, as always.

If you count Dave harassing you for answers (like he does everyday) uneventful.

You don't mind it much when he does that.

In fact, you would gladly do his homework for him, if it only meant getting to spend more time with the insufferable prick.

He is insufferable, and amazingly gorgeous, you might add.

Even as he turns around to ask you for another answer, you only point to your paper and smile when his eyes turn down to look.

You have taken to doodling in the time that it takes for him to finish his own work before using yours to check the answers.

Math is slowly starting to become your favorite subject.

Completely ignoring the scribbles you are drawing all over a separate sheet of paper, you absentmindedly doodling in the mass of chaotic lines.

"Katniss, is that a _heart_ I see there?" he chuckles, and the sound makes your heart thump just that much louder. He has taken to calling you Katniss, and will even whistle at you in the hallways.

You should have never let him watch that movie.

And yes, that's a heart, and wow you just noticed that was there.

When the fuck did you do that?

"OOooohhh. Karkies got a crruuuussshh." he sings, making kissy faces and cooing at you.

Jabbing your pencil into his nose, you gather your things and wait for the bell.

...

You have always wondered why the school put the cafeteria in a different building than the main one.

You never did understand their reasons for the decision.

Nor do you really care all that much.

The point is that Gamzee walked in the doors to the cafeteria not even ten minutes ago and already he and Dave are screaming at each other.

You would intervene, really you would.

But the scene is just too hilarious to _not_ stand and watch.

Besides, aren't the teachers supposed to be the ones to break up fights?

Where the fuck are they anyways?

"AND WHAT MAKES YOU THINK TEREZI WOULD EVEN WANT TO BE YOUR PARTNER?!" Dave yells in the taller boys face.

You silently pray that Dave makes it out of this argument without any fatal injuries.

Because everyone knows not to mess with Gamzee.

Fucker has a rep.

Dave doesn't know about that reputation, though, and you think now is the wrong time to let him know about it.

"SHE'S MY MOTHERFUCKING FRIEND." Gamzee shouts back, his face dangerously close to Dave's. You are thinking that your juggalo friend just might bite Dave.

"SHE'S MY FRIEND TOO ASSHOLE."

"SAYS WHO?!"

"SAYS SHE!"

"BULL-MOTHERFUCKING-SHIT."

"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP."

"YOU STARTED THIS!"

"HOW DID _I_ START THIS?!"

"BY BEING A PRICK!"

"THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKES SENSE!"

"IT MOTHERFUCKING DOES NOW!"

"Will both of you just quit it please?" you finally step between the two, placing a hand gently in the center of Gamzee's chest and pushing lightly.

"Tch. What the fuck ever." Gamzee glares at Dave one final time before smiling down at you softly and turning to walk out.

You let out a sigh and look back at Dave.

"I'll...talk to you later, then..." you tell him, promising a further explanation later.

He nods once, and you follow your juggalo out the doors of the cafeteria.

...

You always have hated the school's hallways, but right now, you have never been more happy about their small spaces.

"Sollux, just wwhat the fuck is this all about?" Eridan asks, glaring over the top of his stupid hipster glasses. You smile slightly and applaud Sollux's bravery.

He must really like this asshole hipster, if he's doing this.

"I jutht wanted...to tell you thomething." Sollux mumbles, so quietly that you almost don't even hear him say it.

If that sentence didn't get Eridan's attention, you don't know what will. Everyone knows that the nerd never let's his lisp slip out.

"Wwhat did you have to say?"

"I uh...well it'th hard to explain..." he starts.

Mentally facepalming, you roll your eyes.

"You thee...I kinda, have this cruth."

"On...wwho?"

"That'th...that'th the hard part."

"Oh cod! Is it Fef?!"

"What?! No!"

"Then...wwho is it?" Eridan's cheeks flush, like he just might be beginning to understand. "Is it Aradia? Terezi maybe? Or is it that girl in your math class that you're alwways talking to? Could it be Vvri-"

"Eridan will you go out with me?" Sollux finally blurts out.

"-ska...wwhat?"

"I really like you." he tries to backpedal slightly. "And I wanted to know if you would maybe give me a chance?"

Eridan hesitates, his face going a deeper shade of red.

Then he explodes in rage.

Honestly not what you were expecting in the slightest, but still.

"Wwhat?! Howw dare you! You told you I was gay?! Wwas it Vvris? Because she can be such a lying bitch sometimes!" Eridan starts, waving his hands around frantically.

Sollux smiles, taking hold of the flailing hipster's face and silencing his ranting with a kiss.

And this is where you stop watching the disgusting display of romantic affection.

Eridan stands still, completely in shock for a total of ten seconds before his clenched fist collides with Sollux's chest, only succeeding in pushing their lips apart.

_**DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE PART ABOUT YOU NOT WATCHING THIS ANYMORE.**_

_Oh...right..._

See there's a problem with that.

You are currently crammed in a locker.

Not just any locker.

Dave's locker.

You hate the fact that you are short enough to fit in these lockers. It makes it easier for people to shove you into lockers.

Dave will probably find you in here next hour, probably.

...

The final bell will always be one of your favorite sounds, but right now it is not.

Dave hasn't been by his locker.

You are still shoved in his locker.

It is starting to hurt a lot.

At first it was just uncomfortable, but then it was painful.

Now it hurts a lot.

In more than one way. Because no one has even been looking for you.

"And he was being a such a dick about it." someone says.

Faintly, you realize it's John.

"Well, maybe you should just apologize to him." Rose replies.

"What for? It's his fault. And anyways, have you seen Dave?"

"He said he was looking for Karkat, actually."

"Where _is _Karkat?" John asks, his voice already starting to fade out.

You don't hear Roses reply, and the sound of people leaving gets quieter and quieter.

Your shoulders sag, and you lean against the back of the locker more, mindful of the hooks that hold Dave's bag up.

You will just have to wait for the janitor to walk by.

When the hallway goes completely silent, you sigh and close your eyes.

Then the sound of someone running catches your attention.

Hoping they run by the locker you are being held in, you perk up in hope they might help you out.

The running stops, and you watch Dave walk up to his locker.

"Damn." he mumbles.

You would say something, but you might scare the shit out of him.

The door opens, and you lose balance, falling straight into Dave and knocking him back onto the floor.

You fall with him, his arms around your waist.

"Ow." he mumbles.

You glare into his glasses and sit upright.

"Where, the fuck, were you. I've been stuck in your fucking locker since lunch." you shout at him, poking his chest.

"Karkat?" he asks, confused. "Oh my god! Where the fuck have _you _been?!" he shouts back, throwing his arms around your neck and pulling you into a hug.

Surprised, and just a lot confused, you nuzzle into the hug slightly at first before pulling away.

"I just told you fuckface, I've been in your locker." you remind him, ignoring the feeling you get in your stomach.

"I've been looking everywhere for you. How the fuck did you get in there?" he asks, sitting up.

You ignore the fact that you are currently sitting in his lap.

"Some asshole kinda just...shoved me in there." you explain.

He frowns.

"What asshole."

"I don't know, some senior I think?" you aren't really sure.

Dave is livid about this, you can see it. His lips are turned down in a frown, and his fists are cleched at his sides.

You aren't sure if he is pissed about you being in his locker or about the senior shoving you in there in the first place.

**...**

**One more thanks going out to Kevin my moiry-ale-person, because he FINALLY gave a review to my stupid story. **

**Thanks, love, you're the best! **

**And lots of love to everyone else that reviewed as well! **

**How about five more for the next chapter?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5!**

**It's actually a little bit late, but eh. **

**And hey! Thanks for the reviews guys! Motivation means more chapters!**

...

He used to always do things just for the 'irony'. And there had to be one day when I got so pissed at him for it.

It was during Christmas break, and I was hanging out with him and John.

The three of us had been getting closer. And I think they were starting to actually warm up Gamzee a little. Maybe, but I could never tell.

But it was during on of those days that Dave really pissed me off.

I never got to see his eyes. I wanted to, but he never let me.

And he was always wearing those stupid aviators. John said he liked them, that they made Dave look 'swag'. Of course, Dave laughed at that, because John looked stupid trying to say 'swag' wile looking cool.

He looked like a loser.

But there was one day, when we were hanging out at John house playing video games. I had gone into the other room to get popcorn.

When I came back, I kinda just wanted to beat the shit out of Dave.

And I mean, I pretty much always wanted to beat the shit out of him. But this was the one time I was almost about to actually do it.

He pissed me off on a regular basis, but rarely did I ever get angry with him. I don't even remember what set me off that day, because it wasn't just the glasses, it had been something else too.

I think it had something to do with the weather, actually?

* * *

You hate winter. Really you do. It's your least favorite season.

Maybe autumn is your favorite, but it could always be summer. It depends on your mood.

But winter will always be at the bottom of the list.

Everything about winter just kinda pisses you off, really.

It's not just the cold, it's the fact that the cold offers up the perfect option for guys to be romantics and it really ticks you off.

...

_John, You, Jade, Dave, and Sollux are all going to hang out at your house today. You went and met Jade, John and Dave at the park down the street and Sollux is supposed to join you guys in a bit._

_Currently, though, you are fuming at Jade Harley and her perky boobs that have attracted the attention of one Dave Strider._

_What makes those lumps of giggling meat sacks so appealing? You have no idea, but Dave sure loves whatever it is. _

_And fuck is it cold outside._

_"Aren't you cold?" he asks, smiling knowingly down at the shivering girl._

_"Oh shut up, Dave!" she giggles, rubbing her hands together to try and warm them up._

_Those two sicken you. Totally and completely. Harley needs to hop off his dick damn it. Because back the fuck up bitch, he's spoken for. _

_Well, not that _he_ knows that...but that isn't the point._

_He chuckles again, and you watch as he slips his jacket off his shoulders and plops it on her head. _

_Pissed off, and not wanting to say something stupid, you stop ahead of the group and enter your house._

_..._

It sucks.

The cold, the snow, the no school.

Well, that last part isn't so bad.

But you never really get to see many of your friends during the break.

You just kinda, lay in bed, trying to ignore your brother.

You hate Kankri.

He's annoying as shit sometimes.

"Karkat you need to get up and do something. Maybe study. You could always use to study more, you know you want to go to a good college, and you can only do that if you have good grades. I'm not saying that your grades are bad, but they aren't the best. Besides, you can always do better, you kno-"

he starts ranting about something you don't care about, and you just tune him out. It's not like you care what he has to say, anyways.

Because really, shut the fuck up Kan. No one is listening.

Sometimes you think he just likes listening to himself talking for hours on end.

He's a prick.

Everyone is a prick.

John is a prick.

Eridan too.

Even Gamzee, because he's so busy with Tavros. He has no time for his best motherfucking friend.

Sollux isn't a prick, he's just really fucking sick right now.

Dave isn't a prick either. You know that. It's not his fault you hate winter.

He's probably out there right now playing around in the snow like a loser. Making snow angels and the like.

You laugh, out loud, at the thought of him building a snowman, placing his aviators on it's face so it looks 'cool'.

Then you laugh at how he would make a pun about the snowman being 'cool' or 'chill'.

You wonder what it would be like to go out and have a snowball fight with him.

He would probably try to push you into the snow. Just because he's that much of a dick.

He might even force you to make snow angels with him.

What a laugh that would be.

Watching him roll around in the cold as shit whiteness and smiling up at you.

Then the two of you would go home for hot cocoa and snuggle under blan-

"Karkat, your phone is buzzing. Who's Dave?" Kankri picks up the offending object and holds it out to you.

He interrupted your thoughts. What a prick.

You take your phone from him with an frown and look at the message.

'_yo. get your sorry ass over to johns we got movies._'

Dave. Mother-fucking-Strider.

You jump right out of bed and rush over to your closet, sending him a text, saying you'll be there in a bit.

Clothes.

You need to do laundry this weekend. You know that, but you just don't feel like it.

Besides, you have enough clean clothes that you should be fine for another couple days.

Or something.

You ignore Kankri, and his insistent ranting about keeping a clean room, and blah blah blah bullshit.

Your Dad waves goodbye to you when you tell him you are going out for a bit.

Then it's off to Johns.

...

When Dave said they had movies, you didn't think he meant Con Air.

Because this movie sucks.

How did Dave get wrapped up in watching this with John.

The derp with glasses has already seen this movie a dozen times.

More than a dozen, actually.

You know that.

But does Dave know that?

Apparently not.

"He says it's his favorite." Dave shrugs when you ask him if he knows.

Of course it's his favorite. You already knew that.

"Hey Katkar. Get us some popcorn would you?" he asks after a moment. John looks over to you with wide pleading eyes.

He wants popcorn too.

You roll your eyes and stand with a grumble.

This is not the first time they have made you a slave in Johns house. It will also not be the last.

You know this, even as you walk over to John's kitchen for the popcorn.

Deciding that kettle corn is the far more superior, you put that in the microwave and wait by it.

Sometimes you hate these two, but you can't help doing whatever Dave asks you to do.

All it takes is a smile from Dave, and you are willing to do just about anything.

It doesn't help that John has the dumbest puppy dog eyes you have ever seen in your life.

The beep telling you the kettle corn is done startles you because you forgot that you were making popcorn in the first place.

Grumbling again, you pull a bowl down from the cabinet to poor it into.

You burn yourself trying to open the bag, and let out a curse.

"You okay Kitten?" Dave shouts from the living room. You can _hear_ the smile on his face, and you ignore the nickname.

"Fucking fine." you grumble back.

You hate it when he comes up with new nicknames, because they just get you all flustered. It honestly really annoying.

But also...kinda endearing? Maybe just a bit.

You pick up a piece of the popped corn and munch on it as you make your way back into the living room with the bowl in your hand.

You contemplate dumping it all on Dave's head, but decide that would probably just make him laugh at you. Plus that's such a waste of good food.

You look over to Dave and notice his aviators hanging from his shirt.

The thing that pumps blood through your body stops for a second, and you have to order it to start moving again before you die. That would no be fun.

Then you look up at his face, hoping to finally get a look at his eyes.

He turns to look back at you, and you swear, he's going to get beat up.

In place of his aviators, are a pair of neon pink hipster sunglasses that read 'Swag' across the lenses.

"Hey, you're back."

"What the fuck are you wearing." you growl at him, sitting down on the couch next to him with the bowl between you.

"It's ironic." he replies.

You throw a piece of popcorn at his face and watch as it bounces off the glasses.

You hate winter, really you do.

You fall asleep at some point during the movie, and wake up to the smell of something baking.

DadEgbert loves baking, this you know for a fact. It is something you have known for a long time, actually.

Why he loves it so much, you have no idea, he just does.

Usually, you don't mind so much, but at the moment the smell is quite horrible.

Not in the gross way, it just smells too...sweet.

Do not confuse, you love sweet things, really truly, but it's so sickeningly sweet that it makes you blanch.

"You finally up, sweetness?" Dave asks.

You look around for him, before looking down.

Jumping up and away from Dave you finally realize you were laying on him.

He laughs at you, and fuck you are so done.

Everything is pissing you off today, and he picked the wrong day to fuck around with your feelings, really he did.

"What the fuck is always so damn funny?!" you shout at him, forgetting that the Egbert's don't take kindly to cursing.

"You." he boops your nose, and you lose it.

Completely lose it.

You slap his hand away from your face and glare at him.

"Don't touch me. Don't laugh at me. Don't fucking _talk _to me." you growl out, standing and walking straight out the door.

You do not look back until you are almost a block away and realize you had no reason to be so upset with him.

As you walk home, you feel worse and worse about how you acted, and feel no better when you finally reach your room.

Flopping face-down onto your bed, you cry until you fall asleep.

...

**BOOM! DONE WITH CHAPTER 5.**

**5 more reviews and you got yourself chapter 6. **

**And digital cookies, because I remember someone asking for those.**

**Also! Thanks to the two guests that reviewed to the last chapter *cough cough looking at you L3MONSNOUT413 cough cough* **


	6. Chapter 6

**I thought, since the last chapter was late, I would post this chapter early, so here you go!**

**You know you love me.**

**Oh! and before I forget, thanks to whoever sent this piece of shit fanfic to their friend, because I apparently got a new follower of the story? And hey, thanks guest for reviewing. I wasn't expecting to get all the reviews I needed this early, so thanks a bunch!**

**...**

Every year, on Valentines Day, I always locked myself away in my room. All my friends knew about this bad habit of mine.

My Dad even knew about it.

But that changed the same year when Dave showed up. Because for some reason, I had shown up at school that Valentines Day, with chocolates in hand.

And no they were not for Dave, calm your shit. I was bringing them to...

The person they were going to didn't matter, alright?

The point is that I was actually going to school for once. And I scared the shit out of everyone when I did it.

I remember, I walked into school and Gamzee nearly screamed. He thought he had gotten the day wrong or something.

Dave had gone all out, and gotten EVERYONE little cards. Everyone. He was just kinda...handing them out.

I got six of them. Don't ask me how, I don't remember how, but I got six. They all hang over my desk, along with a bunch of other shit that reminds me of him.

Six cards, six different colors, with six little heart shaped stickers on them. All super cheesy, and super gross.

Dave had a thing for cheesy and ironic things, but Valentines Day was when he went all out.

And I loved every second of it.

To this day I still haven't even opened up one. I just never felt the need to. I just knew that Dave gave them to me, and that's all I ever needed.

* * *

You wake up this morning with a smile on your face.

You had a lovely dream.

You dreamed Dave confessed his undying love to you, and then kissed you.

It felt so real you can almost still taste his lips on yours.

Hmmmm...strawberries...

You like strawberries.

Stumbling from your bed and onto the floor, you stand to get ready for the day.

Momentarily forgetting just what day it is, you dress and slide your way down the banister of the stairs, almost running into Slick.

"Watch where you're fucking going, kid." he grumbles, side-stepping you and continuing up the stairs with his coffee and the morning paper.

He stops mid-step and turns back to stare at you.

"What the hell? It's Valentines Day, isn't it?" he asks, confused.

You stare back at him blankly, still partly asleep.

You blink your eyes open and realize, well fuck, that is what day it is, isn't it?

"Huh...guess it is." you mumble, mostly to yourself, and grab your things before heading out the door.

"Fucking weird kid..."

...

"GOOD MORNING KUPKAKE." Dave shouts in your ear, the moment he gets close enough.

You grumble a 'morning, asshole' back, having given up on trying to get him to cut it out with the nicknames.

They stopped being cute around a month ago.

Well...they didn't, but he's very creative with them.

"Happy Valentines Day." he sings to you, shoving a red card into your hands.

You stare down at it with sleepy eyes, not fully registering the fact that Dave just handed you a valentine.

You grumble 'whatever' at him and shove the paper into your bag, ignoring the chocolates you bought on the way to school.

You are waiting to give those to a special someone, and you can't wait to see their face when you hand them the heart shaped box.

You smile softly at Dave when you know he isn't looking. He really is just absolutely gorgeous.

...

"Dave, the fuck are you doing?" you question, watching him hand out card after card to anyone that passes by him.

"Giving out Valentines, what does it look like, KayKay." he smiles at you, slipping a pink paper into your hands.

You momentarily forget that he has already given you one, and roll your eyes as you shove the valentine into your bag.

"Whatever. I hope you run out soon." you tell him, eyeing the bag he's pulling them from. It seems never ending.

He smiles at you again, reaching in to pull out another pink paper and putting in your hands.

You open your mouth to tell him he already gave you two, and he shooshes you, papping your head and bounding off towards some other unsuspecting teens.

You are momentarily shocked still from his actions, because only Gamzee does things like that.

Maybe those two aren't as different as they seem to think.

You smile at that thought, because you really want them to get along. After all, they are two of your favorite people.

"What the motherfuck?!" you hear said favorite person yell.

Turning around you find Gamzee staring down at you confused and shaking lightly.

"What day is today? Did I fuck up somehow? I know didn't skip a day...I motherfucking know it!" he starts, and his shaking gets worse.

You stare wide eyed at his actions. What the fuck is wrong with him?

"Gamzee calm down, what's wrong?" you ask, lightly holding his shoulders to stop the shaking.

"Isn't today Valentines Day?" he questions, confusion clouding his eyes.

You nod, unsure what that has anything to do with his freaking out.

"You never come to school on Valentines Day..." he whispers as he takes a hold of your shoulders as well.

Realization hits you like a brick wall.

You never come to school on Valentines Day. What the fuck are you doing? You haven't gone to school on this day since back in Middle School. Why start now? What changed your mind?

"What's going on?" Dave asks, looking from you to Gamzee.

Dave. It was Dave that changed your mind.

"Nothing." you smile at Dave before turning back to Gamzee. "I just decided it was time for a change, I guess..." you explain to your juggalo, hoping he understands.

That seems to calm him down somewhat, and you remove your hands from him. He hesitates before doing the same.

You shrug at Dave when you notice he is still staring at the two of you.

"Weirdos." he mumbles, turning and bounding off again.

Gamzee growls low in his throat, but you wave him off.

Today has started out great, and you are hoping it stays that way.

...

You fall asleep in two of your classes, having been tired from staying up late night for a movie marathon.

Your first class to fall asleep in is History. You have never really enjoyed that class to begin with, so whatever.

The teacher, Mr. Dickfuck as you like to call him, wakes you up not ten minutes after your eyes close.

"Karkat, pay attention." he snaps.

You blink up at him with sleepy eyes and barely register that people are laughing. You do not give a shit, and lay your head back down on the hard wood desk to maybe get a little more shut eye.

A rule snaps down on your desk, just inches from your face.

"Karkat Vantas!"

You glare up at the teacher and sit up completely, propping your head up with your hand.

Satisfied, Mr. Dickfuck goes on reviewing the French Revolution, which you had learned about last year.

Your eyes droop shut once more, only to open what feels like seconds later to the sound of a textbook slapping the wood of your desk.

"Do I need to send you to the office, Mr. Vantas?" he asks, glaring down at you.

You glare right back, but shake your head none the less.

People are laughing again, and you still give no shits what they think.

...

The second class you fall asleep in is surprisingly P.E.

It was during the exorcises that you nodded off.

Somewhere in between touching your toes, and standing straight again that you fell straight into the floor.

You remained asleep for several moments before one of the students poked you awake again.

"He's really tired, fell asleep like three or four times is Mr. Ditory's class last hour." you hear someone tell the coach. You are already starting to fall asleep again.

"Vantas, can you even walk?" the coach asks, leaning down to poke your face slightly with his pen.

You blink at him, half asleep and unsure what his question was.

"I'll take that as a no." he grumbles as he stands again. "Strider! Take Vantas to the nurse for shut eye." He shouts, and that sentence you hear.

"Right, sure. Make me the pack mule." Dave groans, but you almost think you hear a hint of a smile in his tone.

"Just do it." the coach tells him, and the next thing you know Dave is lifting you from the ground and carrying you out the door.

...

"Sweet dreams, Kuttie." Dave whispers when he sets you down in the nurses office.

You almost think you feel him plant a soft kiss to your cheek, but you calk it up as your imagination and roll over to sleep.

You dream of Dave and chocolates for Valentines day.

...

The nurse wakes you up in time for you to head to Math, and you grumble a thanks back.

You could use a couple more hours of sleep, but you can make it through the day like this just fine.

The moment you reach your locker, you know something is wrong. John is there, and he is banging his head against the metal repeatedly.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" You ask, pulling him away from the door. He looks down at you with eyes half closed, and you notice a small trail of blood rolling down his face from the center of his forehead.

"You're bleeding." you deadpan, pointing to the place in question. He shrugs and steps out of your way so you can get your things from your shared locker. "Seriously what the hell is wrong with you? You've been so out of it lately."

He shrugs again, and you assume that's all you are getting out of him today.

You grab your math book and close the locker. Before going to class, you make sure John gets to his, just to be certain he doesn't continue damaging any brain cells he might have left.

Then it's off to math.

In the midst of all of that, you failed to notice the purple heart-shaped note taped to your math book, and walk into class.

...

"Hey what'd you get on number...what's that?" Dave turns around in his desk to ask you a question, but interrupts himself when he sees the purple note taped to the front of your book.

"I don't fucking know, didn't even notice it was there." you peal the tape off and shove the note into your binder.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Dave asks.

"No. What number did you want to know about?"

"But what if its important?" He continues.

You roll your eyes.

"I don't give a fuck, what number?"

"What if some girl was confessing her love to you through that one note and you didn't even know it?"

You growl slightly.

"No one gives a fuck. I don't date people anyways so what the fuck does it matter." you snap back at him, gathering your things and huffing as you wait for the bell to ring.

This day has gone from fine to shit in less than two hours.

...

Lunch is shit. It will always be shit.

You hate lunch.

Well, no that's not true, you do love food. Like a fucking lot, but the lunch hour is not your favorite.

This lunch hour in particular is not your favorite.

Where the fuck are all the teachers, do they just take a fucking vacation every lunch hour or something?

Do they not see the amount of PDA that is currently happening right this moment, or do they just not give a fuck?

"Happy Valentines Day Guys!" Dave shouts happily as he sits down at your table. He passes different valentines to each person sitting there, excluding Gamzee, and you look down at the green one in your hands.

"Aren't you going to open it?" John asks, motioning to the note in your hands.

You shake your head no and stuff the note into your pocket.

You hate lunch.

...

During the comotion happening at the end of the from everyone wanting to get all their Valentines to their lovers, you take the chance to sneak to Dave's locker.

Already knowing that he doesn't keep a lock on it, you open it and place the box of chocolates on the top shelf, along with a note taped to the front of it.

Smiling to yourself, you skip, legit skip, to your locker and grab your things.

As you take out your binder, you see another note taped to the front of it, this time orange.

Rolling your eyes, you pull it off and shove it in with the rest.

Maybe you will read them tonight, but probably not.

**...**

**Karkat's note to Dave:**

**"_Happy stupid love holiday to the jackass that wears aviators indoors. Saw this and thought you might find it funny or whatever."_**

**The box of chocolates said: "You're so sweet you make me sick, Valentine." **

**Haha! Chapter 6. Woooo.**

**And also, was that enough fluff to induce diabetes, L3MONSNOUT413? I sure hope it was because I tried real hard just so this was enough that you could live on for another update.**

** Did I do a good job?**

**Five more reviews and you can get a once in a life time opportunity to read chapter 7! Hurry now while supplies last!**

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed to the last chapter, guests and all. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Heh, Chapter 7! Boosh, early update. Here you are. **

**...**

He fell asleep on me, once. I don't remember what all had happened that led up to the situation, but it had to have been a funny story.

Thinking back on it now, I think that was the day that Tavros got up the courage to ask out Gamzee, but I could be wrong on that one.

The point is, Dave fell asleep on me. I remember it because he was heavy and I stopped being embarrassed about it after ten minutes and was just flat out annoyed.

The asshole was seriously heavy and I couldn't breathe.

John was also asleep, but not on me. He was sleeping in the chair next to the couch me and Dave were on. I couldn't get either to wake up, and I ended up falling asleep under Dave.

I think I kinda passed out from lack of oxygen.

I still remember him smelling like strawberries. I don't know why, but he did.

I've always loved strawberries...

Not the point.

I don't even remember what movie we were watching, but it wasn't even a good one.

Oh god, and the next day was when all that shit with Vriska went down.

God she was such a bitch back then.

Who am I kidding? She's still a bitch.

Not as bad as she was back then, though.

Hey! That _was_ the same day Tavros asked out Gamzee, because it was them dating that gave John the idea to watch 50 First Dates, for some reason.

Don't ask me how a gay couple made John think of a romantic comedy, but whatever.

Asshole even fell asleep before the movie was half way through, the stupid bucktoothed idiot.

* * *

The weekends aren't that bad.

You like to think weekends are actually pretty fun.

This particular weekend is not one of those that is, however.

Gamzee and Dave are at it again.

They really do not enjoy being around each other.

You need to remember to try and keep them apart.

You aren't even sure why they are fighting this time, but someone threw something at Dave, and he (for some reason) assumed it was Gamzee and flipped a shit.

They have been glaring at each other for the past 8 minutes now.

"Hey...uh, Gamzee? I have a...question...for you, I mean." the sound of Tavros speaking to him snaps Gamzee's attention away from Dave.

"What is up, my bro?" Gamzee smiles over to his little friend, forgetting about Dave for the moment.

"The hell is his problem, anyways?" Dave whispers over to you, jabbing his thumb in Gamzee's direction.

You shrug, smiling up at Dave.

He lets out a sigh and your attention returns to Tavros playing with the hem of his shirt and looking everywhere but Gamzee.

"What's your question, Tavbro?" Gamzee asks again, looking down slightly worriedly at him.

"Oh!" Tavros squeaks, "I was wondering...if it wasn't too much to ask...if you wanted to, uh, go out...with m-me, I mean." he whispers, so quietly you almost don't hear him.

But Gamzee sure as fuck hears it.

"As in a date?" he asks. You can see the excitement bubbling up in your best motherfucking friend and you are happy for him.

"Uh...y-yeah..." Tavros' face is beet red, and you almost feel sorry for just kinda standing here watching them like a creep.

You tug on Dave's sleeve and motion for the two of you to give them some space.

...

"Hey John wants to know if you wanna come hang today." Dave asks, looking up from his phone.

The two of you have been walking for a while now, just talking about this and that, not really paying attention to the conversation.

"Sure, you coming too?"

He nods and you change course for Johns house, laughing at whatever jokes Dave makes.

"We watching another movie?" you ask suddenly, noticing how close you are to Johns house. Dave shrugs and chuckles softly.

"Probably, that's all we really ever do."

You chuckle at that as well and hop up the steps to his house.

Already the day is getting better.

"Hey guys!" John greets the two of you when you knock. He smiles, and tugs both of you into the house, shutting the door behind him. "I have the perfect movie!" he says, rushing over to get said movie and pop it into the DVD player.

You roll your eyes and flop down on the couch. You have a favorite spot on this couch, in the right hand corner, and you always sit here.

Dave always sits next to you, and John is always in the big fluffy recliner chair right next to the couch.

You don't remember when or why you started having movie nights over at Johns house, and you deffinatly don't remember when Dave ended up in the mix, but you are almost certain it had something to do with Vriska being a bitch.

Suddenly you have an epiphany and you realize when movie night started.

...

"Karkat? It's Dave. I could use some help here."

_You stop walking, right in front of your door._

_Something is very wrong._

_Dave never calls you by your actual name._

_"What's wrong."_

"Just come here please."_ he pleads, and you hear the sound of sobbing in the background._

_Instantly recognizing the sound as John crying, you drop your bag in front of the door and start back down the steps._

_"Where exactly is 'here'?" you ask, already making your way down the street towards John's house, where you assume whatever happened is going down._

"My house."

_Oh god._

_"Oh...uh...right. Sure, be right there." you turn around and start in the other direction, hoping Dirk isn't there._

_That dude kinda scares you._

_He's a little bit..._

_Flamey._

_Not that you have any room to judge, but that's not the point._

_,,,_

_"Thank god. I didn't know who to else I could call for this." Dave answers the door, stepping aside to let you enter._

_You find John curled up in a ball on Dave's couch, sniffling and watching a movie. Taking a few seconds to figure out what movie he's watching, you realize it's a Disney movie and stop caring._

_"John what the fuck happened?" you ask tentatively._

_You aren't sure how he might react, because he's never done this before._

_"Vriska is such...*sniff* a bitch...*sniff*" he replies, not once taking his eyes off the screen. You roll your eyes and take a seat next to him._

_"Alright, if that's all you have to say right now, I'll just wait here next to you til you're ready to talk about it." you tell him, bringing your knees up to your chest and settling in for a long night._

_Dave wanders over and takes the empty seat on the other side of you. You glance over at him and smile softly, knowing he called you for help when he didn't know what to do._

_"thanks...for this...Karkat...Dave." John sniffs again. You nod to let him know you heard him and understood his thanks._

_The rest of the movie plays without interruption._

_As the credits roll, you look over and notice Dave snoring lightly, and you chuckle._

_"I think I'm ready to talk about it now." John whispers. You look back over at John and nod, settling back down for John's story._

_"I just thought, she was the one, you know? And I guess I just never realized how blind I was the shit she pulled behind my back. She was always doing things like this, messing with Terezi, and even pulling at Kanaya's heart strings. And oh god, poor Tavros. I never knew she was doing things like that until Eridan finally came to me and told me about it. He said how he was tired of her doing this to me without my knowing. At first I didn't even believe him, but then I saw it first hand. Even after that, I still thought she would grow past that, and stop doing it. I talked about it with her and she said she loved only me, and that she'd never do it again. I can't believe I bought her shit. I can't believe I didn't just break up with her then and there." he tells you calmly, and you feel tears start to prick the back of your eyes._

_You knew she was doing these things, and you never said anything to John. You just figured it would be best if he just didn't find out._

_You were trying to protect his feelings, because you knew how much she really meant to him, but now you see you should have just told him from the start. Then maybe he wouldn't be so sad now._

_"Why didn't you?" Dave asks._

_John looks up at him in confusion._

_"Why didn't I what?"_

_"Break up with her then." he explains, sitting up straighter and leaning closer._

_John looks down and sniffs again. "I guess I just thought maybe we could work things out. But I guess I was wrong." he starts crying again, and you suddenly have the urge to pull him into a hug._

_So that's what you do. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and tug him into your chest, rocking him slightly as tears roll down your face._

_"It's okay, John. Calm down, alright? Everything will be fine now." you coo softly, hoping to sooth his emotions at least somewhat._

_You feel Dave snake his arms around you and around John, pulling both of you into a hug. You sit half-way in his lap, with John almost on yours and all three of you are crying and trying to shoosh each other at the same time._

_John falls asleep in your arms, his tears already starting to dry on his cheeks, and you follow soon after, subconsciously leaning into Dave for warmth._

...

Smiling softly over at Dave when he isn't looking, you remember what it felt like to have his arms around you.

The movie starts, and you settle down into the soft fabric of the worn out couch. This has become natural to the three of you, coming over here to watch movies with John. It isn't weird, not to you at least.

It feels...homey, at this point.

It feels right.

You watch the begining credits and let out a groan.

"50 First Dates? Fucking really, John?" you ask, groaning again and looking over at him. He giggles, fucking giggles and shrugs back.

What a lame ass movie.

"The whole thing with Gamzee and Tavros finally dating made me think of it." he explains, hitting play.

"What the fuck, how?"

He shrugs again, as the movie starts. "No idea."

You sigh and roll your eyes. Whatever the reason is, you don't give a fuck, might as well go ahead and watch the stupid movie anyways.

...

You are the only one awake.

The movie is not even half way over.

John is snoring from his spot in his stupid puffy chair, and Dave is slowly sliding down the couch, and slowly falling straight onto you.

Honestly, you could move, but the thought of having Dave fall asleep on you is too good to pass up.

So you let it happen, and when he finally falls into your chest, you slowly wrap your arms around him and let out a content sigh.

He smells like strawberries, you realize, having breathed in his scent when he fell on you.

He is always heavy. Extremely heavy. You don't mind at first, but ten minutes later you are having trouble breathing and cursing Dave for being heavy.

You would attempt to push him off, really you would, but your useless noodle arms are trapped on either side of him.

Oh well, you decide, you might as well also sleep, seeing as that's what everyone else is doing.

You wonder, sleepily, where DadEgbert is.

...

You wake up with your arms still full of Dave, and you blink several times as you try to remember how this happened.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." he smiles down at you, nuzzling your neck slightly before releasing his hold on your waist. "I was starting to wonder when you might wake up."

You've already let go of him, and he is now sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. Your eyes wander down to the sliver of pale skin that shows as his shirt rides up slightly.

"Johns out cold. Must've been really tired." Dave musses, smiling over at the sleeping derp.

John fell asleep in his glasses again, you note. You reach over and pull the object from his face, closing down the sides and setting it on the coffee table.

"You're heavy." you suddenly blurt out. Dave starts laughing, and you feel your face heat at the sound.

He has such an amazing laugh.

You decide that this morning is off to a fantastic start.

You wouldn't mind having to wake up in the mornings so much if you always woke up to the sight of Dave, you decide.

**...**

**I thought this was cute.**

**It's cute.**

**Anyways, you know the drill, five more reviews for the next chapter. xD I love you guys**

***cough cough* Don't hate me if I'm late with the next chapter *cough cough***


	8. Chapter 8

**And here's chapter 8! Last chapter guys! Sorry it's so short.**

**Also, you're gonna hate me for this one...but I love you!**

**..**

The day he left, I cried.

I hadn't cried in so long, I don't even know why I had to choose that day to just burst out in tears.

He cried with me. He wrapped his long arms around me and cried.

He even called me Karkat.

In the year and a half that I knew him, that only made a total of three times he called me by my real name, and not just a nickname.

That was always kinda his thing, that along with irony.

I remember thinking he smelled like strawberries. He always smelled like strawberries.

I also remember wanting nothing more than to just kiss him right then and there, but not being able to. I knew he didn't feel that way for me.

Just bros. Always just bros. That's all we would ever be.

Will ever be.

Unrequited love sucks, it hurts and it's not fun. I hate it so much and I just can't seem to get over how much I love him.

I don't think I ever will.

* * *

You sulk in bed for another hour after waking up before you finally get up.

Today is not your day. It is not.

Dave is moving today.

Dave is leaving and never coming back.

Your heart is breaking, and you don't know why.

Okay so that's a lie. You know exactly why your heart is ripping at the seams. But you will not, I repeat, will NOT, say the reason.

You feel like crying, but you can't for some reason. It's like your tear ducts have suddenly run dry.

You don't know what you are going to do without him. He was your rock. He was the sunshine that lit up your dark world.

He even got you to come to school during Valentines Day. Unknowingly.

That kind of irritates you, to no end, how he doesn't even know the effect he has on you and the things you do.

...

"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you, Karkat." he says, forcing you to look up into those shades you hate so much.

He smiles sadly down at you, and everything kind of just hits you like a truck in that instant.

This boy is everything to you. This boy makes you smile when things look impossible. He brightens the world, and you see in colors you have never seen before.

This is the boy you fell in love with.

You love him.

You love Dave Strider.

You want to tell him how much he means to you, how much you love him, but you can't. You could never say the words.

Not out loud, anyway. You repeat the words in your head like a mantra, sniffing softly as you wrap your arms around his neck the same moment his go around your waist.

"I'm gonna miss you, bro." you whisper into his chest, holding as tight to him as possible. He holds on just as tight.

"Me too man." you hear.

You want to scream at him to stay. That you love him, that you need him. But all that comes out is a choked sob.

Even as his arms finally move from you, and you let go of him. You continue crying.

You don't notice when he leans down and places a soft kiss to your forehead.

You don't hear him when he whispers "See you later, Kitten." don't feel it when he kiss your cheek.

You are too heartbroken over his leaving that you neglect to notice when he takes your hand and squeezes tight before letting go.

He waves again back at you before getting in his brothers truck.

You watch the truck drive down the rode, still crying. You stand there even as the car disappears over the horizon.

You sink to the ground, holding yourself tight and crying as the sun goes down.

John takes you home soon after, having found you still sitting in front of Dave's house.

_"Me too..."_

* * *

You are present Karkat Vantas and you stare at remembrances of the past. Thinking over all the things that had transpired back then.

It has been almost 7 months since he moved, and you still miss him like crazy

Your heart hurts thinking about it.

Thinking about him.

Thinking about the things you used to do together.

Tears begin to pool in your eyes, and you have to look away before you start to cry.

You know where he is.

You've known ever since John came running over to your house, all out of breath and taking puffs from his inhaler every few seconds so he didn't die. Weasing out that Dave was only a couple towns over.

The only problem? You are afraid.

You have been afraid to go see him since that moment.

What if he forgot about you? What if he doesn't even want to see you?

What the fuck would you even say if you did see him?

'By the way Dave, I'm fucking in love with you'

That wouldn't go over too well, you know.

He probably has a girlfriend. Who are you kidding? A good looking guy like him, is bound to find the perfect girl at some point, right?

And here you are, crying over this and that, remembering him and thinking of what could have been.

You wish you had the courage to go see him, really you do. But you just can't...because you are afraid, and you probably always will be.

**...**

**THERE.**

**DONE AND DONE.**

**END OF STORY.**

**Nah, just kidding. There will be a few more chapters after this. So almost done. xD**

**Love you guys, and thanks so much for the support this story has been getting. **

**Again, I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but the next one is helza long, sooooo I made up for it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**As promised, here's a helza long chapter 9! **

**Also, just a heads up, we will be staying with present Karkat the whole chapter this time.**

**HEY THANKS TO ThyRoyalAwesomeness FOR BETA READING PART OF THIS CHAPTER AND FIXING STUFF FOR ME BECAUSE THEY ARE AMAZING 10/10 WOULD ASK TO BE BETA READER AGAIN.**

**Another thing, I should clarify because I was not very detailed with how I wrote this stupid thing:**

_**Dave moved somewhere towards the end of junior year, and this chapter takes place awhile after graduation, so there, that should clear up any confusion. **_

**Enjoy!**

**...**

Everything moves on without him. But it all seems slower. Time seems to drag on without him around to make you feel better about everything.

Your heart hurts.

Looking over at the valentines still sitting on your desk, you try and decide whether you should open one or not.

Feeling like there's no point in opening it now, you turn back the homework you are supposed to be finishing.

It's not like you give a shit about this, but you know that you have to keep good grades.

Maybe you will see him again some day, but maybe not. You guess it just all has to do with karma and all that bullshit.

You have never really believed in that.

Maybe you could start, but eh, it's not worth it.

Too much work for something that will have no effect on anything in the end, you think.

So you try to move forward, continue doing things in life that make you happy. But nothing makes you happy like the way Dave used to.

Max likes to bring up Dave sometimes. He likes talking about how fun it used to be to have him around.

You don't talk to Max anymore.

He doesn't understand why, because you never told him.

You never told anyone how much you loved Dave.

How much you still love Dave.

He was your one and only. The boy you wanted to spend every minute with.

The one you loved, and the one you still love.

The boy you will always love, because he was your first love, and the first always hurts the most, and that pain never leaves.

You realize now that you could have told him that day, and you wish you had. You wish you had told him how much you love him.

You want to go back and explain to him that he meant the world to you, that you needed him.

You wish you could go back and beg him to stay.

Even if it wouldn't make a difference in the end, because at least then... he would know.

...

Everyday, you wake up with the sun pouring in through your window and into your face. But some days, like today, you sleep in until your alarm wakes you up by blaring country music in your ear.

You hate country music. Always have, probably always will.

You dress quickly for the day, ignore the laundry you have yet do this week, and rush through a breakfast of toast and peanut butter before heading out the door and going to work.

Your idiot boss is going to be pissed if you are late, so you decide to take the bus downtown.

It isn't that far of a walk, only about an hour and 45 minutes, but you would be late if you took that route, and the bus only takes 20 minutes to get there.

So you take the bus.

No matter how much you hate public transportation, you hate your boss more. And him being upset with you being late is not on your list of things to do today.

You don't even have a list.

With good reason, you tried having a to-do list and kept losing it, so you just opt to go without.

And you manage just fine.

Sure, you forget to buy food sometimes, and go hungry for it, but you manage just fine.

The bus slows to a stop halfway there, and you curse under your breath. One of your least favorite things about this bus is all the stops. You understand, because without them, you would probably be late anyways, but still.

Looking down at your watch, you see that you have around a half hour before you have to be at work, so you take a calming breath to ease your nerves.

You hate public transportation.

An elderly couple is having a bit of a problem getting up the steps of the bus, so it takes almost 8 minutes before they have boarded and the bus starts again.

A baby starts crying the moment the bus starts rolling.

You have a headache, and you really fucking hate public transportation.

You need a car.

...

You walk into work five minutes before your shift and roll your eyes when your manager waves excitedly at you.

This store is full of idiots.

You clock in, and grab the company shirt you are forced to wear every day.

It's plain black with the store logo in swirly purple and yellow lettering.

It's stupid, and you hate it, but it's a job and you kind of fucking need the money.

You grab the box of new shipments and begin with the new releases.

"Um...excuse me, sir? I'm looking for a book for my son, do you have any recommendations?" An elderly lady asks as she walks up to you.

Letting out a sigh, you shelf the book you had in your hand and turn to face her.

"How old is your son?" you ask.

"17."

"Do you know his favorite genre, or what kind of books he might like?"

"He likes video games." she offers, somewhat hopefully.

You sigh again and walk a few rows over to a section of the store that has game guides.

"What kind of video games?"

"He just recently got a game called WarCraft World, I think."

"World of WarCraft. Right." you run a finger over the spins of several guides before finding one for the game her son plays. "Here." You hand the book over to her and she smiles.

"Thank you so much." she pats your shoulder as she walks by, and you flinch slightly at the contact.

You don't hate your job, really you don't. It's just not your favorite.

You work at a local bookstore, alongside Eridan, who practically runs everything here. He's the one that got you this job in the first place.

Only because his stupid boyfriend owns the store. Your boss, Sollux fucking Captor, is a prick and damn it, you hate him. And yes, as far as you care, 'fucking' is his middle name.

Hate hate hate hate. But he is still your friend.

You shake your head as you go back to shelving the New Releases, muttering under your breath about how "The movie was a piece of shit" when you get to a book that has a movie counterpart.

Never understanding the appeal to Sci Fi books, you squint at the cover of the newest alien adventure novel. All of these are stupid, you think. Having read a few, you know how ridiculous they really are.

"Hey Kar? Could you come here for a sec?" the sound of your manager, Eridouche, calling you to the front forces you to set down the books you were shelving.

"The fuck you want." you grumble the moment he is in earshot.

"There's someone on the phone for you." he smiles as he hands the purple colored phone to you.

"What?" you ask, not even caring at this point who is on the other side.

"Hey Karkat! Beep beep meow! I was wondering if you wanted to drive up with me to see Dave this weekend." John giggles through the phone, laughing at his own stupid greeting.

"I keep fucking telling you no."

"Oh come on! You know you wanna see him!"

"John, I don't." you respond flatly.

"But he wants to see you!" he shouts back, and the words make your heart flutter.

Growling, you hang up the phone without another word.

You hate John. This is the third time he has tried to get you to go see Dave, and you still aren't going.

It isn't worth it. you are just waiting for the day when this stupid crush goes away.

"So...?" Eridan asks, leaning over the counter to look at you. Flicking his nose, you walk back over to the books you set on the ground and continue your work.

You don't hate your job, you just dislike it. A lot.

...

You spend your lunch break trying to avoid John when he comes by the store to see you.

No doubt to ask if you will come with him to see Dave again.

He keeps doing this to you, and you just know it's only because he hates you.

Eridan distracts him by pointing out that 'Casey really has gotten so much bigger since the last time he saw her'. And that led to John starting to go on and on about 'yes she's growing like a weed, and doesn't she look so much like her mama?'

To which you gagged. You hate John so much. Finding the perfect girl, having the perfect little child.

You hate how happy he is, because you aren't happy.

You want to be happy, the way he is, but it's not possible.

The one person you can be happy with isn't yours, and never will be.

So you eat in the back, grumbling about how you hate peanut butter but eating the sandwich anyways.

...

Kanaya said she was going to stop by the store to pick you up after you got off work, but her girlfriend wanted to hang out instead, so she will not be showing.

You miss Gamzee.

You wish he was here to take you to lunch, but he moved with Tavros somewhere to go to collage or something.

You hate it here, having been in the same town for most of your life.

Honestly, you would leave, if you had the money to.

Too bad you don't.

"Waiting for someone?" Eridan asks, already starting to close up the store.

You would lie, but Eridan can see through your lies at this point.

"No. Kanaya bailed on me." you tell him with a sigh, adjusting the strap on your book-bag so it hangs more comfortably over your shoulder.

"You know, you could always come hang with me an Sol." he offers, but you shake your head.

Because you do not want to be around those two right now. They are always so gross and lovey-dovey. It sickens you.

"Suit yourself, I guess..." he hesitates a little longer before walking over to his car and driving off.

Your phone vibrates in your pocket, notifying you that someone is calling.

Sighing, you hope its Gamzee calling to tell you about how much he hates collage again.

"What." you answer.

_"You sure you don't want to go this weekend?" _John asks again.

"I'm fucking sure." you spit back, hanging up on him again.

You should really pay more attention to the caller I.D. It's there for a reason.

...

You walk home, taking the long way around so that you can stop by the park.

You have always liked the park, it's very calm during the afternoon hours when everyone is heading home.

Besides, no one really ever goes to that park anymore.

You smile when you notice two children running around, chasing each other. The younger girl screaming that she's going to kill the older boy.

You wonder silently if they are related.

The crosswalk light signals you to cross, so you start across the street before the count down begins.

You hate walking.

Getting a car would cost too much money, though, so you walk everywhere.

You should really get a roommate.

Maybe you could put up flyers around town, but maybe not.

A block from your two bedroom apartment, there is a corner store that you like going to sometimes.

You know the people who own the store, and they are really kind people.

You are still pissed at Max, however.

"Hey shortness, hows it going!?" Maria greets the moment you walk in the door.

You smile and wave to her slightly, looking around for any signs of the male twin.

"He's not here, off on some 'hot date'." she explains when she picked up on the searching glances, using air quotes around 'hot date' and laughing. "I think he's actually hanging out with his stupid friends again, though." she sighs sadly.

You know how much she hates the people he hangs out with.

"So whats up?" she brightens up suddenly as she asks.

"Fucking nothing. Everyone is always so busy with their stupid boyfriends or girlfriends." you complain, sitting down behind the store counter and looking up at her with pleading eyes. "Don't ever get a boyfriend, promise me that."

She laughs, reaching down to pat your head. You swat her hand away and she laughs again.

"I don't think you have to worry about that any time soon, shortness. Speaking of though, Angie wanted to know if you would hang with me and her this weekend."

You think it over. Hang out with the two girls, or sulk at home like you do every weekend.

"I would, but I have plans." you decline, not completely lying. You plan on sitting around your apartment and scowl at everything.

"I know you didn't accept John's offer to go see Dave, so don't give me that." she sternly responds, glaring down at you.

Sighing, you stand and give her a hug, resting your chin on her shoulder.

"I want to...but what the fuck would I even say?" you confess, closing your eyes.

"The truth." she whispers before pulling out of your grip. "I know that sounds stupid as shit, but it's what should be done. Anyways, I gotta close up soon, head home." she pushes you towards the door as she speaks, waving goodbye with a smile.

You roll your eyes and walk the last block home, knowing it's empty but still holding onto that hope that someone is waiting for you.

...

No one is waiting when you get to your apartment. You sigh and relock the door behind you as it shuts.

You left the kitchen light on this morning, you don't remember doing it, but the evidence is there.

You do that a lot, actually.

The T.V is also on, but that you remember doing.

You flop down on the couch you sort of stole from Sollux and change the channel to something more entertaining.

Finding there is nothing entertaining on the television, you flip it off and stand to go get something to eat.

The sun is going down as you sit at the table to eat, sitting in the only chair you own.

As you look around your more-than-empty apartment, you decide you should get more furniture.

Realizing that you don't care, you go back to finishing off your microwave dinner before heading to your room.

You stop by what you call the 'guest room' because no one else lives here, you poke your head in to stare at the blank walls.

Sighing for what feels like the hundredth time today, you close the door and head to your own room.

You do not bother to change as you flop into bed and groan when you realize you forgot to turn off the light in the kitchen again.

You decide it can wait til tomorrow, and turn over to sleep.

You are almost in to the gates of dreamland when your phone goes off again.

Growling, you don't bother to check the caller I.D. when you are mostly sure who it is that is calling.

"John, I'm not fucking going." you sleepily tell the derp.

_"Going where? Oh dude you gonna come visit me?" _Dave's voice sparks emotions inside of you that force your eyes open again. You move so that you are sitting and quickly look at your phone.

"Dave?" you ask tentatively, almost unsure if it's really him or not.

_"Who the fuck else. And bro, you gotta come see me this weekend. You just gotta." _he almost pleads, and you feel your resolve start to crumble.

"No." you deadpan, hanging up on him and throwing your phone across the room.

You do not wish to see him, you tell your self as you start to cry.

You do not.

.

.

.

Even as you start to drift off to sleep out of exhaustion, you know that you really miss him, and want to go see him, but fear keeps you from doing so.

...

The next day you wake up to the sound of your phone going off again.

You ignore the offending device and walk over it to get to the kitchen.

Pouring yourself a bowl of cereal, you munch on the food without milk as you sulk over to the couch again.

Your phone stops singing to you moments later, and you flip the T.V on for the news.

Finding that you don't really care about current happenings, you turn the T.V off again only to find your phone is singing again.

Growling, you set down the half-eaten bowl of dry cereal and walk over to pick up your phone, sending the caller straight to voice-mail.

You do not care who it is, they are going to speak to the dial tone the next time they call.

You are not a morning person, it is not you.

Ten seconds later the phone starts to sing again and you glare at it.

"What the fuck do you want?" you growl into the phone finally.

_"Is that any way to greet your older sister, Karkat?" _Kanaya chides, and you can hear the smile in her voice.

Sighing in relief you sit down on the couch and groan.

"I'm sorry, Kan. I've just been really fucking stressed lately." you apologize, already knowing she forgives you.

_"It is alright Karkat." _She tells you, her soothing voice serving to calm you down somewhat.

You go into ranting about how John keeps bothering you with going to see Dave, and she listens patiently. When you tell her about him going to the store and bringing his daughter, she asks about Casey and you softly smile and tell her about she really does look just like her mom.

"And she's gotten so big! She's almost three months old, now." you tell her, smiling about the little girl.

_"That sounds quite adorable. But Karkat, I think you should go." _she abruptly changes the subject back.

"Go where?" you ask, already knowing what she means, but you don't want to go.

_"Karkat." _she warns, and you can almost see her wiggling a motherly finger at you.

"I know I should go, but I just. What the fuck would I even say to him?!"

_"Tell him how you feel." _she tells you before saying she has to go, something about Rose and yadda yadda.

You feel lost, torn between wanting to see him, and being afraid to go.

You look down at your phone to see you have three missed calls, and two voice-mails.

Dialing the voice-mail box, you listen to the two messages and make a choice.

You look over the valentines still laying unopened on your desk, and you walk over.

Might as well at least open them, right? There's no harm in it now, is there?

Of course there isn't, seeing as you already made your decision and you aren't going to see him. So opening a few valentines from Dave won't change your mind, you know that.

So you slowly make your way over to them and gingerly pick up the first.

Ripping the sticker holding the paper closed, you smile at what's written inside in Dave's messy handwritting.

_[Insert Cheesy Valentines Saying Here]_

You start to laugh, because this is perfection. You silently wonder if all of them say that, and that opening them will only make you laugh.

But the next one has you almost confused.

_Kitty, love is stupid, love is blind, love is always on my mind. _

Wondering what he means by that, you move on to the next one, feeling more unsure about your choice in reading these.

_You're so short, it makes me snort. Height is a number, and you think I don't hear the words that you mumble. _

Confused, and just a little bit annoyed at how that didn't even rhyme, you set the valentine down to pick up another.

_You smell like raspberries. _

_I like raspberries._

Your face heats at that, because you aren't really sure if he means that or not. You sniff your arm, trying to decide if you really do smell like the fruit or not.

_[Generic Sappy Love Poem]_

That one makes you chuckle, and you set it down with the others, before shaking your head.

Your choice changes in that moment, when you see one more heart shaped paper.

Reaching over with shaking fingers, you are almost afraid to open it when another appears underneath it.

Sure you only had six, you recount all of them, and find that you in fact have seven, unaware that even happened.

You open the first one, and stare confused at it.

_I still have your notebook, I never gave it back..._

You remember losing a notebook towards the beginning of last year, but you can't really expect it to be the same notebook.

You pick up the very last one, checking around the desk to make sure you didn't somehow miss an eighth.

_Happy Valentines Day my little Kuteness_

Your heart does a little flutter of nerves, and something changes. You let out a sigh and pull out your phone to dial again, this time calling your idiot friend to let him know where you will be.

"Hey, Eridan? I won't be in today...or ever really."

**...**

**there we go.**

**Cliff hangers are fun, you know that?**

**How'd I do?**

**Long enough? Or should I make the next one even longer?**

**I'm making the next one longer.**

**Five reviews, guys.**


	10. Chapter 10

**LAST CHAPTER**

**WOOOO**

**And hey, Happy 4/13 everybody!**

**...**

You hurriedly pack your things, only grabbing the things that you will probably need.

You already called John to let him know you were going, and even asked if you could leave early, like a few days early.

He was happy to oblige, saying he had cleared his calender for this week and the next.

You thanked him, said you would be over in an hour and told him to be ready to leave.

He was confused for a moment, but you told him it was important that you leave as soon as possible, and he hesitantly complied.

With a duffle-bag full of cloths, and ten minutes to get to Johns house, you lock the door to your apartment and rush out.

You are an angry ball of nerves when you climb up the stairs of the public bus.

Ignoring the sounds of people chatting, you take a seat in the back and wait trying to get to a stop that is as close to Johns place as possible.

The bus has a stop that is a little over a block from John's, and you get off there.

It's the closest you are going to get at this point, so you start walking, already late by a few minutes.

He's sitting on the porch when you get there, waving you over and smiling.

It is going to be a long ride there, but you feel it's worth it, all things considered. Mostly you think that just because well...Dave.

You can't wait to see Dave.

You look over to Johns car, admiring the shinny blue paint of the truck. He smiles and pats the hood.

"Isn't she beautiful?" John asks lovingly. You shrug and toss your bag in the bed of the truck, walking over to the passenger side and getting in.

You faintly hear him grumble a 'whatever' as he gets in the drivers seat and turns the engine.

You need a car.

...

You start to get bored the moment you leave town, having been watching buildings go by. Now you take to watching the trees as the all blur together in dull colors.

John tries to pass the time by playing I-spy, but he finds out quickly that you give no shits about the game.

So the drive is mostly silent until he turns the radio on.

And one of your all time favorite songs starts to play.

Singing along to the lyrics of 'Makeshift Chemistry' by Crown the Empire, you and John arrive in Dave's town in what feels like no time.

You suddenly doubt your decision in coming here.

The doubt creeping through your stomach fades as you remember the voice-mail Dave left you.

_"Kitten, please come see me? I really miss you, dude." _

_"Listen here Karkat, I'll make you a deal. You come see me, and hear what I have to say, and if you don't recuperate, I'll leave you alone. Deal?" _

What if he doesn't mean what you hope he means?

What if this is all just a sick joke?

You shake your head at yourself. This is stupid, you're already here, might as well go through with it, right?

But you are already second guessing yourself, and feel like throwing up. John looks over at you with gleeful eyes.

"He's going to be so excited to see us! And so surprised!" He shouts, fist pumping as he drives down the road.

You have no idea where Dave's apartment, or house, is. So when John pulls up to a small house at the end of a street, you aren't sure what to expect.

He parks the car, turns it off and gets out hurriedly.

You hesitate with the door before opening it.

The drive was long, and you suddenly feel overly tired from it all, knowing that in a few short feet, Dave is living.

You hear the beep from John locking the truck, and it makes you jump slightly, having not been expecting the noise.

Looking to the front door, you see John already standing there, waiting for you.

It feels like eternity before you finally reach John and bring a fist up to knock.

"Wait." John stops you, his hand catching your wrist. "I forgot to tell Dave you were coming." he whispers, his eyes wide in what almost seems like horror.

"Oh well." you take a gulp and bring your fist to the wood, knocking twice.

John looks horrified by the action, and even takes a step back.

You hear the familiar whoosh of air from Dave flash-stepping, and take a deep breath as the door opens.

You are suddenly reminded of the first time you told Gamzee about your crush on Dave.

* * *

_You stand in the middle of Gamzee's room, staring down at him with fearful eyes. _

_The words echo in your head, and you aren't even sure you said them. _

_'I think I like Dave.'_

_You almost think you didn't until you notice Gamzee's fists clenched at his sides._

_"Motherfucker." he mumbles, running a hand through his hair and laughing bitterly. _

_You take a step towards him, holding your hands out in defense. _

_"Gamzee?" you ask tentatively. He looks up at you with an expression that you can't read._

_"You mean, like _like _like?" he asks._

_You almost laugh at how stupid that sounds, but nod anyways, afraid of his reaction to the news._

_You start to sweat when two minutes have gone by in silence._

_Then he stands, walking his way over to you and wrapping his arms around your whole body._

_"I hate that motherfucker. But if he makes my little motherfucker all up and happy all over, I guess that's alright with me." he mumbles into your hair, nuzzling into the hug slightly._

_You let out the breath you weren't aware you were holding and bring your arms around his back as best as you can, but they don't reach all the way because of the way he holds you._

_"Thanks Gamzee..." you whisper back._

_If Gamzee approves, you almost think nothing can stop you now._

* * *

Thinking of that day hardens your resolve to go through with this, and you stand your ground up until the doorknob starts to turn.

Then you abscond the fuck out of there at a blinding speed, not looking back when John shouts your name.

You don't look back until you are several blocks away and panting, unsure of just where the fuck you are.

The shitty phone in your pocket starts to ring, and you ignore it, thinking it must be either Dave or John. But likely the latter.

You walk a few more steps, to a sign that reads bus stop and sit down at the worn down bench.

You pick at the faded green paint and wait for the bus you hope is running today.

To your luck, the bus pulls up almost a full ten minutes later, rolling to a stop right in front of you.

You had turned your phone off during that time, because of its nonstop ringing.

Boarding the bus, you slip the fare into a bucket and shudder at the sight, unsure of why buckets make you so uneasy.

They just do.

So does public transportation, you really fucking hate it.

A baby starts to cry as you slip into one of the only empty seats.

You always end up on a bus with a crying baby, fucking always.

...

Twenty minutes, and one lost Karkat later, you pull out your phone and turn it back on.

You wait, trying to drown out the sounds of people around you, and when the sight of Gamzee in a frilly tutu skirt pops up, you smile fondly at the background of your shitty phone.

Then it starts ringing again.

Startled, and having been running your finger over the screen to get to the games on your phone, you accidentally hit the answer call button and bring the phone to your ear.

"Uh...hello?"

_"Karkat! Hey! Where are you, dude?" _you let out a sigh when you are greeted by Johns voice.

"I have no fucking idea." you mumble to him, closing your eyes and resting back against the seat.

_"...are you on a bus...?" _he asks with a chuckle. You know full well that he is aware of your hatred for buses, so you have no idea why the fuck the little shit is laughing.

"Fuck off." you grumble, running a hand over your face.

_"Get off at the next stop, alright? I'll come get you." _he tells you with another chuckle.

You nod even though you know he can't see you and click end call, because you are done talking.

You get off two minutes later and text John the street name.

He says he will be around to get you in a few, and you sit down at the curb, resting your hand in your chin and huffing.

This is stupid, you realize, as you sit there waiting.

You can't believe you fucking ran.

So close to seeing him and you fucking ran, what the fuck is wrong with you?

There was no point, other than the fact you panicked.

The familiar blue paint of Johns truck catches your eye and you look up and smile.

He pulls up in front of you, unlocking the passenger side door and you slide in.

"Hey Kitness, hows it going?" the deep voice of Dave makes you jump and turn around in your seat to stare into the dark lenses of Dave's aviators.

He smiles at your reaction, and your eyes fall to his lips.

What you wouldn't give to just kiss him right this moment.

John clears his throat and you look over to him.

"Put your seat-belt on?" he asks awkwardly, probably having guessed what you were thinking.

You nod to him thankfully and turn around to pull the strap over your shoulder.

The car ride back to Dave's house is silent, aside from the sound of John humming along to the radio.

When you get to Dave's house, John practically kicks you out of the car and drives off again, saying he will back in the morning and that your things are already in Dave's house.

You almost run again, but Dave wraps his arms around your waist and lifts you from the ground.

Screeching, you flush at the way he holds you up, and the way he laughs at your thrashing.

He carries you into the house, still laughing, and sets you down on the floor before shutting the door behind him.

You couldn't leave now even if you wanted to.

So you do the first thing that pops into your head,

You wrap your arms around his neck and pull his face down close to yours before pressing your lips to his.

You don't register that you've kissed him until arms go around your waist and lift you up off the ground again.

Startled, you break from the kiss and stare with wide eyes at him, and he smirks.

"I missed you too, KittyKake." he whispers. He walks you both over to the couch and sits with you in his lap.

Your face brightens with red at the action, but you can't say you don't like it.

He smiles at you and you can't help but bring your lips to his again.

Mmmm, strawberries.

You move your lips against his, and grow more and more frustrated with the iritation of his ever-present glasses.

Growling, you pull his aviators off, not bothering to take the time to look at his eyes before resuming the movement of your lips with a smile.

He freezes, only to relax soon after.

Everything is perfect up until the moment your brain catches up to you, and suddenly you realize just what the fuck is happening right now.

Pulling away you stare at his closed eyes until he slowly blinks them open to stare back at you.

"Hi..." he whispers, bumping his forehead into yours.

You can't muster up the words to reply, and instead press your lips back to his again for a short but sweet kiss.

"Dave your eyes are fucking red." you tell him, as if he didn't know this fact already. He smiles at you and shrugs.

"Oh no shit? Huh so that's why people stare at me funny." he answers.

You smile and hug him tight, almost afraid he might disappear and that you will wake up back home in your little apartment to the sound of country music.

"Please tell me all of that just happened." he whispers to you when you pull away from the hug.

"It happened." you answer back in another whisper.

* * *

You snuggle down into the blankets around you, breathing in the scent of Dave.

He gave you his bed.

He's sleeping next to you.

You are sleeping in his bed with him.

Everything smells like Dave and strawberries, and its making your heart warm.

It makes you happy, to think you will wake up next to him.

The bed moves as he slides in next to you, mumbling a sleepy goodnight before rolling himself over to you and wrapping his arms around your middle to bring you to his chest.

Startled, you bring your arms around his neck in a more comfortable place and let out a sigh.

This is lovely, you decide, as you feel the rise and fall of his breathing.

You fall asleep moments later, your thoughts of Dave morphing into dreams of the two of you together.

**...**

**AND THERE**

**BOOM**

**FINISHED**

**Hey, guess what? I wanted this chapter to be longer, but eh...stuff happened. **

**I'll make a deal with you guys: If I can get 20 NEW reviews, to any chapter, I will post a bonus scene, sound good? **

**Guess who's already working on the bonus scene, that's right this dude.**

**You love me and you know it, so get to reviewing dudes and dudettes. **


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